spermatium

[ spur-mey-shee-uhm ]

noun,plural sper·ma·ti·a [spur-mey-shee-uh]. /spɜrˈmeɪ ʃi ə/.
  1. Botany. the nonmotile male gamete of a red alga.

  2. Mycology. a minute, colorless cell, of certain fungi and lichens, believed to be a male reproductive body, developed within spermogonia.

Origin of spermatium

1
1855–60; <New Latin <Greek spermátion, equivalent to spermat- (stem of spérma) sperm1 + -ion-ium

Words Nearby spermatium

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British Dictionary definitions for spermatium

spermatium

/ (spɜːˈmeɪtɪəm) /


nounplural -tia (-tɪə)
  1. a nonmotile male reproductive cell in red algae and some fungi

Origin of spermatium

1
C19: New Latin, from Greek spermation a little seed; see sperm 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for spermatium

spermatium

[ spər-māshē-əm ]


Plural spermatia
  1. A nonmotile cell in red algae and certain ascomycete fungi that functions as a male gamete.

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